Broken Promises
by mrsl488
Summary: Caroline's day had already been in her top ten of awful days when she receives a very intimate picture via text message that sends her over the edge. Spoilers for 4x16.
1. Chapter 1

**Spoilers for 4x16. Hell hath no fury...**

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Caroline couldn't sleep. She lay tucked in next to her mother, images of Elena holding Liz against a paneled wall of the Salvatore boardinghouse playing over and over in her head. There again were her best friend's eyes, filled with the blood from the veins below them, fangs bared, ready to tear into her mother. This image far outplayed the one of Caroline on her knees in the woods beyond the cemetery, Elena primed to stake her in the back. That one surfaced only when she drifted to sleep.

Thank God Damon and Stefan had found them when they did. After Damon had ripped Elena away, Stefan had driven Caroline back to the boarding house where he'd given her a touch of bourbon and made her promise to help Elena find her way back from the edge. Then, impossibly, the night had gotten worse. Answering a text from Matt, she'd rushed to the Lockwood Mansion, her heart filled with hope that Tyler was there regardless of how foolish the thought was. As she'd read the note he sent through Matt, his words, disguised as a declaration of love, drove home the final nail in the coffin and Caroline had finally fallen apart. Matt drove her home, got her into her pajamas, made her a cup of tea and offered to stay on the sofa in case she needed him. Past the point of comfort or the need for company, she'd sent him home to his new mansion with a promise to call in the morning. He hadn't been gone five minutes when Caroline found herself standing in the doorway of her mother's bedroom, watching Liz sleep fitfully. Knowing she wouldn't sleep any better with the fear for her mother crawling across her spine and her heart breaking into a million pieces, Caroline had slipped into the queen-sized bed, spooning up against her mother like she did when she was five and had a nightmare. Only now the nightmare was in the form of her best friend killing her and her mother.

Turning with a sigh, blankets twisting around her legs, Caroline's thoughts drifted to Elena's suggestion that turning off her own switch would allow her to think dirty thoughts about Klaus. As if she needed her switch off to do that. Damn him, she thought. He was always there, right at the edge of her mind, telling her over and over "It was all for you". Yeah, right, she scoffed, rolling her eyes. Just then, her phone vibrated, indicating a text message. As if she'd conjured him, Caroline saw Klaus' name pop up on her screen.

"Could this night get any worse?" she thought, grabbing her phone before it vibrated right off the night stand and woke up her mom. Unlocking the screen, she clicked on the message, which opened to a picture of Klaus, naked, a sheet across his waist, seemingly asleep. A caption ran across the bottom, "Yum, almost as tasty as Tyler".

For a moment, Caroline didn't know what she was looking at. Well, clearly it was a sleeping Klaus, but her mind couldn't wrap itself around the context. His hair was tousled, as if someone had run their hands through it more than once. He had a bite mark on his neck and a satisfied look on his sleeping face.

"What the hell?" she whispered, slipping out of bed and padding out of the bedroom to the living room sofa. "Is this some sort of joke? Who would send-"

For a second she considered that Elena was playing at yet another game, but Caroline knew this wasn't from Elena. On the corner of the picture, she could see a bracelet lying on the bed, one she'd seen before, on that she-wolf bitch, Hayley.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Klaus had slept with this wolf slut. He'd all but told Caroline that he loved her, that he'd done everything for her, and then he'd had sex with Hayley. He knew, _he knew_, how she felt about the werewolf, how much the girl's presence in Tyler's life had hurt her. Not to mention the fact that the bitch had helped Tyler remove the sire bond from all of his hybrids. What the hell had he been thinking?

Caroline saw red as she flashed to her room, dressing as quickly as she could and ran out the door. She didn't even take the time to consider what she was doing. She only knew that this day had completely sucked and Klaus was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

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**This is my first multi-chapter story and will definitely appreciate some feedback. The story is outlined and I'm hoping for at least 3 chapters, provided the characters don't take over...**


	2. Chapter 2

**I cannot begin to tell you all how humbled I am by your interest in this story. I literally didn't sleep last night as my phone pinged over and over with new reviews, follows and favorites. Giddy doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. I apologize for the lack of Klaus/Caroline interaction in this chapter, but Hayley had other ideas. I'm pretty sure you won't mind. **

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Hayley was slipping out of the front door with a devious smile on her face when Caroline came to a halt in front of the Mikaelson mansion. The run from her house had not done much to clear out her anger at Klaus, but seeing Hayley, she was able to channel some of it towards her.

"You bitch!" Caroline flashed to the steps, grabbing Hayley by the hair as she pulled the door closed.

"I see you got my text," Hayley bit down on her lower lip, smirking at Caroline even as Caroline yanked her head down. Caroline growled at her, eyes flashing red, and took great joy as she pulled as hard as she could on the girl's hair, flinging the wolf across the courtyard. She smiled proudly as she watched her prey roll to a stop clear across the driveway. Her smile widened as heard the groan of pain that escaped Hayley's mouth.

"You know," Caroline said conversationally as she strolled over to Hayley's prone form, "I was able to tolerate you when Tyler asked me to pretend you two were dating, hell, I even tolerated it when you slept on his sofa every night after passing out from too much whiskey." Caroline stopped in front of the sprawled werewolf, "Is that a wolf thing? Because, seriously, cheap, Kentuckian whiskey? Could you be any more of a cliché?"

"I'm sorry," Hayley interrupted as she got up on all fours, shaking her head as if to clear it out, "did I touch a nerve?" She glanced up at Caroline, her eyes bright with mischief.

Caroline considered Hayley for a moment, her head tilting as she wondered what it was that Tyler, or Klaus for that matter, might have seen in the girl. Her hair was really sort of mousy, the lips too big. She'd give her credit for the eyes; they were rather striking, but still.

"Touching a nerve would imply I care that you got some cheap thrills with Klaus," Caroline lied, both to Hayley and herself, "I'm just pissed that you had to go and make a really shitty day even worse."

Hayley stood, stretching her neck one way, and then the other while putting a hand to what was sure to be a sore spot on her scalp. She looked at Caroline as if she saw right through her bravado.

"You shouldn't worry, not really," she said thoughtfully, "I was a little caught up in the whole thing, but I think the hybrid may have called out your name, you know, in the heat of the moment."

Caroline lunged at the she-wolf, landing on top of her, taking pleasure in the sound of bones giving way. Straddled across her back, she pushed Hayley's face down into the driveway, the concrete cracking.

"You really should be quiet, because, seriously, as I mentioned, I have had an awful day and would actually consider adding another tally to my kill column." Caroline pushed down on Hayley's head just enough to get her point across and then heard a tell-tale whoosh indicating they had company.

"Ladies," he tsked, "this really is quite unbecoming of you."

Caroline looked up into Klaus' smirking face. From her vantage point she could see that he'd dressed hastily, reminding her of his evening activities. Her stomach churned slightly as she inhaled the smell of sex. Pushing the image of the two of them locked in an embrace out of her brain, she gave Hayley's head one final push into the ground and stood.

Hand on hips, blue eyes glaring, she gave him a once-over. She looked pointedly at his shirt, which he'd thrown on inside out. His eyes followed hers, taking in the seams of his Henley. His smirk vanished as he looked between the two girls, realizing that Caroline _knew_. Crossing his arms, he looked back at Caroline, an eyebrow raised, daring her to say anything. Not backing down, she raised _both_ eyebrows at him in undisguised disappointment and said in a quiet, dangerous voice, "I'll be inside. Deal with the trash." He flinched as she knocked her shoulder into his, pushing past him, head high, and headed straight for his front door.

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**Thank you for taking the time to read this, please let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**You all are absolutely amazing. Thanks to all of you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following this. You'll be happy to know that this chapter is longer than the previous two. **

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Caroline was waiting in Klaus' art studio when she heard the door open and the sound of his footsteps across the marble in the grand foyer. Entering the house earlier, she'd been overcome with memories of the night she danced here with Klaus. It's the reason she'd searched out the studio, the one room in the house she was most familiar with, the place where he had offered to take her away to Rome and other exotic places. She'd been a little awed by his worldliness that night, though not enough to let him get away with bullying Tyler and threatening her friends. As she looked around now, taking in the masculine warmth of the room with Klaus' paintings scattered throughout, she was at a loss as to how she got here.

When she'd left her house, she had been intent on…she wasn't sure. She'd been so angry, had seen red when she'd realized Klaus had slept with that wolf slut that she really didn't think about what she was doing. She'd just run. When she'd arrived and saw Hayley, there was no doubt in her mind that the girl needed a lesson on who was the Alpha regardless of the fact she wasn't a werewolf. That bitch had shown up in Mystic Falls with malicious intent, sacrificing twelve hybrids and laying the ground work for Tyler's banishment and life on the run. Caroline should have killed her.

Klaus entered the room, his shirt once again impeccable and his hair finger combed. The bite mark she'd seen in the photo had obviously healed itself. He made is way over to the bar, uncorking the decanter, then grabbing two glasses. Catching her eye, he motioned towards the scotch, silently asking permission to pour a finger or two for her.

Caroline considered declining, but realized she may need the fortification before this, whatever it was, was over. She nodded and he filled the glass for her.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?" He asked politely, as if they were getting ready to enjoy an after dinner drink as opposed to it being two in the morning. He walked to where she stood near his easel and handed her the drink.

"Do you really need to ask?" Caroline asked sharply, taking the drink from him while doing her best not to touch his hand. Noticing her avoidance, he raised an eyebrow at her, a habit of his that was beginning to infuriate her.

For a moment he said nothing as he moved some sketches around absentmindedly. Feeling her eyes on him, he looked over at her.

"Ah, yes. Hayley. I must say, I'm quite impressed with how quickly news spreads. Why it was just a few weeks ago that Elena traded brothers and I didn't hear of it for at least 36 hours."

Caroline glared at him over her glass as she tasted the scotch. "Ha ha, you're a laugh a minute," she said sarcastically. Pulling her phone out, she opened the text message, clicked on the photo and handed him the phone.

He blanched at seeing himself so vulnerable. It was a rare occasion for him to be caught unawares, yet Hayley had done so, taking a photo of him while he slept. He considered it lucky that he was incapable of being killed because she could have just as easily put a stake through his heart. Pulling himself together, he handed the phone back to her.

"It's a lovely picture-"

"Stop it, just stop!" Without realizing it, Caroline had moved into his space, his cologne tickling her nose. "This isn't funny, how could you sleep with her?"

"Why do you care?" He countered, "Last I heard, you hated me for running young Tyler off. I tried to kill you not a week ago, why would it matter to you who I enjoy in my bed?"

"You enjoyed her?" Caroline asked incredulously. "Have you forgotten that she was responsible for your hybrids turning on you?" Caroline threw back at him, avoiding the question of why she would care who he took to bed.

"No, that would be Tyler who was responsible for that action, hence me 'running him off'." Klaus answered back, anger in his voice.

"Tomato, To-mah-to. You know damn well she provoked Tyler into breaking the sire bonds," Caroline finished her drink and headed to the bar for a refill. She noticed that Klaus hadn't touched his. "Why is she even in town? I would think you'd have killed her instead of fucking her."

Klaus, who had had turned back to his sketches as she walked away, twisted back to look at her, eyes flashing gold. She stood her ground, glaring back at him.

"Be careful Caroline, rough language is quite unbecoming of you," he said, a dangerous tone to his voice. "My dealings with Hayley are none of your business. You and I are not in a relationship and regardless of my feelings for you, they're not reciprocated and I have needs. If you are not intending to meet them, I will find a willing partner."

"Seriously?" Caroline moved back to his side, ignoring his growing anger, "So you go and find the one person you know responsible for breaking my heart?"

"Is that right? Funny, I thought I was the one who broke your heart when I refused to show Tyler enough mercy to keep him in Mystic Falls. While we're asking questions," he said pointedly, "why is it you didn't leave with Tyler? Why are you here Caroline?" Klaus asked her, stepping into her space, his face inches from hers.

"Don't turn this on me Klaus! You are the one who said that everything you've done you've done for me, but five minutes later you're in bed with someone you know, you _KNOW_, I hate." Caroline's voice cracked, "How could you?"

Klaus moved his hand towards Caroline, grasping her chin firmly, while tipping it up, forcing her to look at him. "Why are you here?" he asked softly, searching her eyes.

Those same soft, blue eyes filled with tears, "I don't know," she admitted. Taking a breath, she continued, "This day, it's been horrible. Elena's turned off her switch; she dropped me on my head, tried to bite my mom, and then tried to stake me. To make it worse, Tyler, Ty-"she broke off with a sob, shaking her head and pulling away from him.

"Caroline, sweetheart," he whispered while attempting to pull her back to him.

She shrugged him off, "No, you don't get to comfort me!" She turned and headed for the door, but he caught up with her quickly, grabbing both her arms.

"Who then, Caroline, who gets to comfort you? Matt?" Klaus snorted at the thought of the blond football player. "He's not enough for you! Stefan? He'll never stop pining away for Elena and you'll never be able to deal with his need to play the martyr," Klaus' voice had risen, but he took a breath, eyes closing briefly. "None of these small-town boys will ever be enough for you."

Caroline attempted to pull away, but Klaus had a firm grip on her arms.

"And you'll be enough, Klaus? Will you meet my needs?" She taunted him, throwing back the words he'd used earlier.

"You know the answer to that," he said softly. For a moment neither of them moved, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room. He searched her eyes, whether to look for permission or rejection she didn't know, but before she could move away, his lips were on hers, his hands moving to the sides of her face, holding her gently.

He felt wonderful. Caroline had spent many a night, thinking those dirty thoughts Elena had accused her of, wondering what his lips would feel like on hers. Now, those same lips were moving over hers gently, one of his hands moving down her cheek to her chin, pulling gently on it until her mouth opened, his tongue seeking hers. Caroline had been kissed before and she'd been kissed by someone who loved her, but this kiss, this kiss belonged to a man, not a boy. She was lost as he drew her into him, deepening the kiss. One of them moaned as her arms moved of their own accord, finding their way up and around his neck. Giving into the passion he was drawing out of her, she ran her hands up into his hair, grasping the strands forcefully, attempting to take control of the kiss. He backed them into the door, his hands leaving her face to move down her body. He grasped her hips, but not before his hands had swept over her the sides of her breasts, sending shockwaves up her spine, short circuiting her brain. As Klaus pulled her hips up against him, letting her know without words exactly how much he wanted her, Caroline forgot everything, the whole world coming down to just the two of them.

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**What you just read was the first kiss I've ever written. I can't decide it was hot or ridiculous. You be the judge! There should be just one more chapter of this...but you never know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you, for reading, reviewing, following and clicking on the favorite button. You all have helped me see my way through my first multi-chapter story. While I had the plot mapped out and I knew where it would go, your interest kept me coming back to my computer and putting those thoughts to words. Thank you.**

**For those who worried that Caroline was being taken advantage of, I would never let that happen. I hope that you appreciate the resolution of that kiss and everything before it.**

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Caroline was lost to sensation. The days' events, gone. Every single bad thing that happened in the last 24 hours, hell, every bad thing that had ever happened, was shoved into a box and buried deep in a hole as she gave herself up to this feeling. She had no sense of placement, just senses and touches, first a breast, then her a hand at her hip, the fingers gripping hard, then back to her face, and then in her hair, tugging hard. The focal point of every sensation was her lips. Her lips and her tongue and her teeth, all actively involved in making her feel nothing but this awareness that excluded everything else.

She wasn't just an onlooker. With her back against the door, her hands begged for equal time, running down his back, the muscles there sleek and straining. Her hands swept across his face, encountering roughness which scraped along her hands, the friction feeling so good that she wanted to do it again and again. His hair was coarse when she expected silkiness. She decided this was okay because the coarseness sent new, unfamiliar feelings through her hands.

His scent was unique. He smelled of runs in the forest and oil paints. And something else, an unexpected scent, a muskiness that she wouldn't associate with him, but she wasn't completely unfamiliar…

Caroline broke away, panting. She searched his eyes, looking for an answer, attempting to make sense of what was happening. What was she doing? Meantime, Klaus was looking at her with a mixture of desire and confusion and a slow sense of rejection.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her voice cracking. She moved to push him away, but he stayed firm, grasping her arms, though not without gentleness.

"You need to let go of me," she said, her words laced with a growing panic, "why were you kissing me? You can't kiss me! Not now, not when you just-". The words broke off. Caroline couldn't say it out loud, not now after she'd let him kiss her and make her feel so good.

His hands dropped from her arms as he stood straight, taking a step back from her but not completely away. Vaguely Caroline noticed his hair was tousled again, much like it was in the picture she received. A sob caught on her throat as loathing, at both of them, inched its way across her face. She watched his face harden as he grasped her revulsion. She questioned her disappointment as his body language transitioned from softness and desire to the control and impersonal stance she was more familiar with. His arms crossed of their own volition, into the defensive posture he was most comfortable with.

"I have no intention of apologizing," he said, his words cold and clipped.

She looked at him, assessing this man who called up such a variety of feelings in her that it should be illegal. She'd raced to his house earlier out of anger, desperate to take everything she was feeling, the fear for her mother, her sadness laced with anger directed at Elena, the irrational abandonment she felt with Tyler leaving and the rage that had consumed her when she seen that picture sent by Hayley. She'd hurried here to lay all of it at his feet. She wanted to take it, ball it up and throw it at him and let it consume _him _instead of her.

She also knew that wasn't the truth of it all. Even before the text message had come, as she tossed and turned in her mother's bed, she had yearned for someone to make it all better. No one ever thought to try to make things better for her. No, she was the fixer. She cleaned the blood spots, made the casseroles, worked hard as the sober sponsor and talked insane friends out of causing Armageddon. She did all of that and more and it was expected. Even after being tortured by every creature known to mankind, her recovery was anticipated like the evening news. It would happen without anyone else having to lift a hand. Caroline was so tired. She was so tired and desperately wanted someone to be the casserole maker and sober sponsor for her. As she had twisted in the sheets, she realized there was no one. Then, like a whisper on the wind, his name started as a soft undertone in her head, getting louder and louder the more she ignored it. Klaus.

She should hate him. She should be disgusted with herself. Good grief, he'd probably not even brushed his teeth since kissing that slut Hayley and she wouldn't even consider where else his lips had been. Now that she actually took the time, Caroline picked up other smells; Hayley's scent wasn't the only one she had singled out in the room.

"Oh my God," she repeated, this time louder. "You had sex with her in here, didn't you?"

Klaus had the good grace to flush, though he stood his ground, his lips firm, his eyes giving nothing away.

"You did," Caroline shook her head in disgust, "don't you have any dignity at all? Have you been hiding your man-whore ways all this time?"

Klaus responded with that eye shrug-combination-eye roll that he thought was so charming and walked over to his sketch table, picking up the forgotten tumbler of scotch he had poured earlier. Taking a sip, he considered her words thoughtfully.

"Let me get this straight," he began, "I have sex, in the privacy of my home, mind you. Sex between two consenting, unattached adults, which, not that it's any of your business, was long overdue," he bit out, pointing a finger at her. "if you don't count that time you attacked me in the woods for some hot, hybrid/vampire sex. Your words not mine, sweetheart. And I'm a, what did you call it? Yes, a man-whore. Is that about right?"

Caroline had the grace to look contrite, but not enough to have it quench her growing anger.

"No, you don't talk your way out of this. Just a few days ago, you held me in your arms all night after healing me from a fatal bite, one, oh by the way, you gave me. You let Tyler go, for me, all for me. Your words not mine, _sweetheart_," she said, repeating his words back to him, "and then, then you have meaningless sex with a slut who ruined your life? I don't think so!"

"I don't recall saying it was meaningless," he said casually, though he looked pointedly at her, judging the impact of his words.

Caroline flinched and took a step back. He said it to hurt her and he was successful. Deep down she knew that what had happened with Hayley hadn't meant anything. Caroline knew Klaus to be someone who felt deeply, whether it be vengeance or love. It was obvious in the dysfunctional way he cared for his family and it was evident in his artwork. Every time he bellowed with anger, he gave himself away. He demanded loyalty and Caroline couldn't think of a time when he'd gone back on his word. Strangely, she knew she could trust him, so when he all but told her that he loved her, she believed him. She also believed that she singularly held his affection. If she had been wrong about this, if Hayley meant something to him, then Caroline had been a fool, one who had welcomed a kiss just feet away from where he'd _made love_ to another woman.

Panic ripped through Caroline and she knew she had to get out of this house, away from Klaus and out of his life. She knew she shouldn't even be here to begin with, she shouldn't be angry at him, shouldn't be expecting him to be her friend and certainly not to be someone she could turn to for comfort.

Closing her eyes, Caroline recalled the deep breaths Stefan had taught her a lifetime ago, in the bathroom of the Grille, breaths to use when controlling her vampirism. She used them now to control the anxiety threatening to overtake her. One breath, two, and then she looked up at Klaus with her best fake smile while she ran her fingers through her hair, giving her hands something to do.

"You're right, Klaus, you're absolutely right. What you do in your own home, or anywhere, that's your business, not mine. I was the wrong, I had no right to come to your home and start throwing around accusations," she said, eyes bright with unshed tears, "as for the kiss, I don't expect you to apologize, it was mutual. I'm just going to go home now and try and get some sleep before school tomorrow."

She turned to leave, but once again, he moved quickly to stop her, grabbing her arms.

This time, though, he didn't keep his hold, his arms falling to his side, but his eyes pleaded for her to stay. The fight drained from her, she made no move to leave, standing there silently while waiting for him to say what he needed to.

With his arms by his side, it gave him an air of openness that she was unaccustomed to. His eyes, too, were bright with unshed tears, as they stared into hers. They stood there for what could have been a moment or a day, Caroline didn't know. Finally, he spoke.

"It didn't mean anything; she means nothing; Hayley," he choked on her name, "means _nothing_; of course you're right about that. I won't apologize for it, for all the reasons I've stated here tonight, but I am sorry that it hurt you, that _I_ hurt you, that was never my intent." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable with apologizing and exposing his feelings to her yet again, but he continued none the less, "I have been clearer with you in regards to my feelings than I've been with anyone in a thousand years, including my family," he paused, searching her eyes for a reason to continue. She nodded slightly, giving him permission to continue.

"As for that kiss, it was the most exquisite moment of my existence. If that is the only kiss we ever share, it will be enough; you need to know that, sweetheart." He raised his arm, his hand cupping her face, a thumb stroking her cheek. For a moment she leaned into the caress, caught up in him once again. Despite her anger, she knew that, for whatever reason, this man had the ability to make her feel as if she didn't have to carry the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. If she were honest with herself, she'd admit it was the reason she didn't leave with Tyler. She wasn't in love with Klaus, honestly, she didn't even know if she really liked him most of the time. But he had a hold on her she wasn't willing to let go of. She didn't know if it was because she recognized something of herself in him or if she was drawn in by his strength. Whatever it was, Caroline recognized that for now, he remained part of her life.

"I really need to get home," Caroline said, not moving, letting him be the one to break contact this time. He understood the power she was giving him at that moment; she could see it in his eyes. As a quiet understanding passed between them, he stepped back, his hand dropping.

"May I escort you home?"

Caroline didn't even consider it. Reaching deep for what strength she had left, she replied "I'm fine getting home on my own, you should know that. I'm strong, ageless, _fearless_." A smile touched his lips as she repeated his description of the two of them, standing in the Gilbert kitchen.

"Indeed, love, you are," his arm swept towards the door, showing her the way out. She walked through the house alone, the rooms' dark around her, shadows hiding in the corners.

"Goodnight Klaus," she whispered at the front door, knowing he could hear her.

Caroline drew in a deep breath as the door closed behind her. Turning, she marveled at the redness of the sky and a quiet laugh escaped her as she realized that a new day was dawning.

Fin.

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**Please do let me know how you liked the ending. I imagine that some will be upset that Klaus didn't beg forgiveness. I don't believe he'd ever do that, because, well, everything he said to Caroline was true. While I wasn't happy that we finally got a Klaus love scene and it didn't include Caroline (and don't even get me started on how completely contrived the whole episode with Hayley was, grrr.), he didn't owe her any explanations for his actions. I tried very hard to draw the thin line between him knowing he hurt her and it not being any of her business. Hope that makes sense to you! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!**


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